Eighty-nine years ago today, Stanislaw Francizek Musial was born in Donora, a small mining town in western Pennsylvania. His father Lukasz, a Polish immigrant, almost immediately began to call the boy "Stashu."

Later, after the young Musial had grown up to become one of the greatest baseball hitters who ever lived, he'd be known by another nickname in every ballpark in America: "The Man."

When he retired in 1963, Musial owned 17 major-league records, 29 National League records, nine All-Star Game records. If you grew up in St. Louis, by now you know the math, which is so familiar that it must have been taught in the public and private schools: seven-time batting champion, a three-time MVP, and a 24-time All-Star, .331 batting average, 3,630 hits, 475 homers.

In St. Louis, Musuial is an icon and a treasure and our most beloved citizen. And given all of the impromptu harmonica concerts he's given through the decades, Musial probably ranks second on the list (to Chuck Berry) of our most famous musicians.

Musial represents a sweeter time in America and a softer, gentler side of our sporting culture. He never turned down an autograph and was always a gentleman to his fans. He didn't draw his hitting prowess from a syringe. Baseball wasn't a job; it was a reason to smile.

The Man isn't as nimble as he used to be, and he's cut down on travel. Every now and then a rumor goes around that Musial is enduring a serious illness, and is in trouble. But it turns out to be a false alarm, and Stan bounces back again, just as he did in 1962, when he batted .330 after a lot of folks thought he was done.

Musial is doing amazingly well. He still goes to the office of Stan the Man Inc. every weekday to be with his friend and business manager, Dick Zitzmann. Musial stays for an hour or two, signing autographs and opening mail that's arrived from around the world. And then Zitzmann and Musial usually head to lunch.

Three or four times a week, Stan and Lil — his extraordinary bride of 69 years — go out to dinner. Sure, The Man has his share of bad days, but he's rarely scratched from the lineup. The brightness of his eyes hasn't dimmed, and the laughter hasn't stopped.

"I'm often asked what keeps Stan going," Zitzmann said. "The answer is, 'People.' He just enjoys being around people. He lights up. Stan loves his fans as much as they love him."

So today Stan and Lil will celebrate his 89th birthday with family members and close friends. There will be terrific food, and a beautiful birthday cake, and lots of memories.

And Musial, as always, will be surrounded by love.

Which means it will be a perfect birthday.

Has any athlete — ever — felt as much love, and given as much love, as Stan Musial? There will never be another like him.

Every new day with Stan Musial is a blessing. Happy birthday, Stan.

READING TIME, 3 MINUTES

Free Kyle McClellan.

It's ludicrous to blame McClellan, the Cardinals' fine young reliever, for costing Adam Wainwright a 20th win and possibly the Cy Young award because of a blown save against Milwaukee on that Friday-night game at Busch Stadium on Oct. 2. Wainwright had many opportunities to pick up one more win throughout the season.

Former Rams great Isaac Bruce has been demoted to a backup wide receiver role by San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary, who has turned to young wideouts Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan. Bruce has 1,023 catches for 15,188 yards and 91 touchdowns in 16 NFL seasons. "When I talked to Isaac about the change, he was positive," Singletary told reporters. "Isaac has been working with Josh to help him get better. I didn't expect anything different from Isaac. He's a class individual."

Classy move by the Rams, buying the remaining 4,000-plus tickets for Sunday's home game against Arizona, ensuring that the game will be on local television. NFL teams can only do this once per season. ... The Blues rank next to last in the Western Conference in the percentage of shots that result in goals (8.0). ... Good luck to St. Louisan Elizabeth Stephens (MICDS), who will be playing for North Carolina against Maryland on Sunday for the NCAA field hockey championship.

We can't say enough about the quality of work being turned in by Blues goaltender Chris Mason, who has extended the hot streak he began last season. Since Jan. 21 of last season, Mason ranks third among NHL goaltenders (minimum 15 starts) with a .925 save percentage. He also ranks 11th in winning percentage over that time (.637) despite receiving only the 35th-best goal-scoring support (2.56 average) among regular goaltenders. ... Poplar Bluff, Mo. native Tyler Hansbrough is off to a slow start with the NBA Indiana Pacers; in his first five games he made only 14 of 40 shots (35 percent) from the floor.

As a guest on my WXOS (101.1 FM) radio show, Blues Chairman Dave Checketts expressed confidence in his efforts to purchase the Rams. "I'm bullish on our pursuits and I think we have a great chance," Checketts said. "My real concern is to make sure this club stays in St. Louis because I don't think any city in North America has done more to get a team than St. Louis did to get the Rams. They belong there and I hope they stay there." ... Checketts hinted that the Blues will announce plans for a Brett Hull statue outside Scottrade Center when the team honors Hull for his Hockey Hall of Fame induction on Dec. 15.

Good luck to Checketts and his Real Salt Lake soccer club, which faces Landon Donovan, David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy in Sunday's MLS championship in Seattle. ... Our town's Gary Ronberg has written a book, "Heart & Soul -- The Kurt Warner Story," published by Triumph Books. It's available at a great price at Amazon.com and would make a nice Christmas present. ... Finally, a plug for my favorite cover band, Asbury Park, which will be playing your Bruce Springsteen favorites tonight at Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves. The set begins at 9 p.m. Asbury Park was voted Best Cover Band for 2009 by the Riverfront Times.